Chapter 71

Chapter 71

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 71: Intern (1)

The chaos quickly subsided.

Once the Overlord stepped in, they had no chance of survival.

“I’m not sure what will happen since they’re villains.”

They were the infamous Brigade of Eternal Heaven.

Many people wished for their death, so perhaps execution was likely?

While I was thinking about this, Kim Seo-hyun approached me.

“What was that?”

“Huh?”

“Something like a sword aura.”

Ah, he was talking about the Black Flash.

Indeed, it was an alien force, especially because it looked like a sword aura due to the power of Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven.

“It wasn’t a sword aura. It’s a kind of finishing move.”

“It looked more dangerous than a sword aura to me.”

“Because it’s a finishing move.”

“You’re hiding more than I thought.”

Kim Seo-hyun’s eyes sparkled.

That was the look he reserved for a worthy rival or someone stronger than him.

‘Fortunately, she doesn’t know I’m an intermediate yet.’

I had been freshly promoted to the middle levels.

I intended to pat Kim Seo-hyun on the shoulder as a sign of a job well done, but I was so drained of energy that I just passed by him.

The Energy of Defying Heaven was more exhausted than I had thought, comparable to when I used Abyss to kill the Supreme, Napak Cheon.

I sat down and looked around.

The surroundings were a complete mess, chewed up, destroyed, and crushed by something.

As I was observing, the Tower Master of the Red Tower approached me.

“Did you call for the Overlord?”

“Yes.”

“How did you… No, that’s not what’s important.”

The Tower Master said that and bowed to me.

The nearby kids were surprised by his action.

“First, I want to say thank you. If it weren’t for you, there would hardly be anyone alive here, and I would have been dead for sure. You’re nothing short of a lifesaver for us.”

“……”

I knew the Tower Master had this kind of personality.

But I didn’t expect him to say it so openly in front of so many people.

“It’s nothing. Anyone else would have done the same.”

“But the Overlord himself wouldn’t have stepped in otherwise. Anyway, thank you. Is there anything you need? It might seem like I’m flattering myself, but I’m quite a capable magician. If there’s something you want, I can get it for you.”

“Yes, I’ll let you know if I think of anything.”

There were several things I could ask from the Tower Master.

“And…”

The Tower Master trailed off and looked at me.

“Has our Yu-hwa caused you any trouble? I may have spoiled her too much, and she can be a bit immature.”

“…It’s fine.”

Aside from occasionally being mischievous, she wasn’t a bad kid.

The Tower Master hesitated for a moment while looking at me.

“Do you, by any chance, have special feelings for our Yu-hwa?”

“Are you trying to tempt our son-in-law?”

A heavy voice interrupted.

The Overlord was approaching us, the half-dead deputy leader slung over his shoulder.

“Overlord?”

“Quite a troublesome guy, trying to save his subordinate over himself.”

With a click of his tongue, the Overlord put the deputy leader down on the ground.

The deputy leader’s condition was better than expected. Apart from his leg being torn off by something, he was relatively intact.

Given the opponent, it made sense.

The Overlord’s technique of intimidating the opponent was the power of the Giants.

“Ah, by the way, the sword this guy was using looked pretty good. Are you going to take it?”

The Overlord showed me a sword with a blue blade, lifting the corner of his mouth.

It was the Winter’s Sword.

“The Winter’s Sword!”

The Tower Master of the Red Tower exclaimed in surprise.

“Lee Seo-ha, you should take it. It’s a rare item, hard to find even for a fortune.”

“Of course, it’ll attract attention, which can be bothersome…”

I replied quickly.

“Thank you. I really wanted it.”

“Haha, look at this guy.”

The Overlord chuckled as some commotion began at the entrance.

“Finally, the association has arrived. Why have they been getting slower these days?”

“It seems there’s some political strife at the top.”

“Tsk. Foolish people.”

The Overlord crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.

The Master of the Red Tower turned to me.

“Lee Seo-ha, will you keep today’s events a secret?”

“……Can I?”

“Of course. Most of those I invited today are dear acquaintances of mine. And—”

He cast a brief glance at The Overlord.

It was clear that no one here would dare to cross The Overlord.

“Then, please do.”

“Alright. But be careful, since the Brigade of Eternal Heaven has targeted you, Lee Seo-ha.”

The Tower Master of the Red Tower handed me a red badge.

“If you feel in danger, press the button on the badge. I’ll come to your aid.”

“Ah, if you’re taking the Winter’s Sword, you’d better conceal it quickly. Those from the association won’t dare to take it from me, but they will be a nuisance.”

The Overlord remarked, eyeing the association members. I swiftly placed the Winter’s Sword into my spatial pocket.

After the commotion subsided, I stepped outside.

Seated on a bench nearby, I popped a recovery elixir into my mouth and gazed up at the sky when I noticed a woman. She was dressed in a suit, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Her presence was imposing.

And naturally so. She was as formidable as the deputy leader of the Brigade of Eternal Heaven, who had been challenging the Tower Master of the Red Tower just moments ago.

“You are…”

An iconic figure of the association. The woman I had encountered once before during the Mine incident, Baek Ji-yeon, the Sword Empress.

“It has been a while.”

I greeted her with a nod.

Baek Ji-yeon’s eyes swept over me. Her expression changed to one of interest as she scrutinized my form.

“You’ve developed considerably since we last met. Children tend to grow quickly at your age, but your case is exceptional. Truly someone deserving of the Emperor’s notice.”

Baek Ji-yeon remarked, then she took out a cigarette and placed it between her lips.

She hesitated to light it after glancing at me.

“Ah, sorry. It’s a habit. Anyway, it’s good to see you like this.”

Baek Ji-yeon made that remark and gazed deeply at the hotel.

Given her expertise, she likely surmised the situation inside.

‘There are no distinctive traces of Miners, so villains must have wreaked havoc here, but it seems mostly under control by now. A tremendous force was at play; a transcendent must have stepped in.’

That’s probably what she was thinking.

“Pretty quick.”

She was likely feeling disillusioned by now.

The association always dragged its feet in responding. They only showed up after everything had happened and calmed down somewhat.

This was because both Mines and villains tended to target the association directly.

In contrast, the government maintained its integrity, staffed by honest individuals.

“Anyway, please relay my regards to Seo Ye-bin later.”

After saying this, Baek Ji-yeon departed. Not long afterward, association members sporting the association’s emblem rushed out of the hotel.

“What’s with the higher-ups these days?”

“They’ve always been behind the curve, but it’s getting even worse lately. Should we give them a piece of our mind?”

“Forget it. It could really backfire.”

The association members emerged, voicing their complaints and discontent.

Then, Hong Yu-hwa showed up.

“You’re still here.”

“Yes, there’s no point in me going now.”

I observed Hong Yu-hwa. She had changed from her battle-worn dress into a beige short-sleeved blouse and a high-waisted black skirt.

She gazed at me with an air of superiority.

Suddenly feeling playful, I decided to tease her.

“Who am I?”

“What?”

I quirked one side of my mouth and peered at Hong Yu-hwa.

“The one who dealt with one of the Brigade of Eternal Heaven’s heavy hitters all by myself and struck a decisive blow against the Supreme you were struggling with.”

Hong Yu-hwa looked at me, dumbfounded.

Her mouth was agape with shock.

“So, who is below now?”

Immediately afterward, a scream that was hard to tell whether it was human or beast-like emanated from Hong Yu-hwa’s mouth.

I smiled contentedly.

-Master, you won’t abandon me, right?

Black Heaven sat beside me, feigning tears.

Black Heaven acted this way for one reason only: because of the Winter’s Sword I had obtained from The Overlord.

‘The Winter’s Sword is good, but.’

It wasn’t enough to make me abandon Black Heaven. Perhaps if I obtained the Sword of Four Seasons.

I appraised the Winter’s Sword.

[Winter’s Sword (S)]

Forged from the auroras of the Arctic, it contains the power of extreme cold.

Legend has it that it can reproduce the power of the four seasons.

: All attacks with the Winter’s Sword gain the ice attribute.

: Innate skill, Sword of Extreme Ice.

The effects were straightforward.

But the power was not. I swung the Winter’s Sword horizontally through the air.

Crackle!

The air where the sword passed began to freeze.

‘It’s weaker than I expected.’

It couldn’t be helped. The weapon’s effectiveness depended on the level of its wielder.

When I surpassed the Supreme level and reached the highest level, it would show its true power.

I sheathed the Winter’s Sword and stored it in my spatial pocket.

I checked the time. It was 8 AM.

School was out for the holidays, but it was getting risky not to start heading to work.

‘To think I have to go to school and work at this age.’

I sighed involuntarily.

I put on a short-sleeved hoodie and slacks casually and stepped outside.